Prince of Darkness (1987)

Touches You

Pretty Good

Good movie, but best of all time? Hardly . . .

One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

'Prince of Darkness' is not master of horror John Carpenter's best film and it is weakest in his so called "Apocalypse Trilogy", but Carpenter is such director whose more mediocre work surpasses other genre director's film by miles. In 'Prince of Darkness' Carpenter again manages to perfectly create creepy and claustrophobic atmosphere (although might not as good as in 'The Thing') and the horror doesn't need to rely on jump scares and fancy special effects. Only Carpenter can build up such a slow an intense waiting of the doom.After some flops at the box office John Carpenter had fallen into discountenance by the mayor studios 'Prince of Darkness' was again independent film with modest budget. The low budged doesn't take anything away from the movie, on the contrary it doesn't show like a low budget film (I guess it's Carpenter's experiences working on shoestring budgets). The build up is little slow, and the action parts are little corny some times (without right amount of cheese it wouldn't be Carpenter's film), but the dialogue is magnificently written and characters (except some expendables) are rather intelligent and avoiding too much horror movie clichés. Again, Carpenter manages to create an eerie synthesizer soundtrack, that is pleasure to listen, but is not recommended to listen on your ipod while walking on dark streets.'Prince of Darkness' is above average atmospheric and intelligent horror film that uses many interesting ideas and avoids to slump into horror film clichés. It should please hard core horror fans, and is must see for John Carpenter fans.

This review has potential spoilers. Suffice to say, it is still a very creepy film after nearly 30 years, and you need go no further than that.I read some of the negative reviews about this movie, and about the acting, and I just sort of shake my head. They are missing one of the key aspects upon which this movie stands: disbelief. And it's also the same reason why you can watch this film maybe 40 years later, and it would probably still creep the livin' h*ll out of you.Indeed, it starts a little slow. The music Carpenter adds for the non-dialog scenes builds a very thick sense of dread. But it's when they get the graduate students is where this film gets legs. The students and the professors, all of whom are very scientific and rational people, are asked to analyze something that only lives in what modern Man thinks is nothing more than Dark Age superstition. Yet, the green goo is there, in all of its horrible glory. Moreover, not only are they asked to PROVE that this is evil incarnate, but find a way to stop it. And their reactions reflect their basic struggle to come to grips of what they are seeing.And yet, Carpenter's sound track rolls on. It really does give you the creeps.And that's the genius of the film: the fact that the security of modern thinking has just been ripped away in one fell swoop, and you're staring straight into a chapter or two of Revelations of John, in the flesh. And you're trying to turn it all back with test tubes and computer print-outs. Even early in the film you get the impression that this isn't going to end well.And then there is the dream sequences that lengthen as the movie rolls. This is also key to the movie, for reasons that I won't explain because it is a potential spoiler.To that end, this is a film whose premise is to turn Christianity on its head. For those of faith, this is a bit of an issue. I personally put that aside - it's a horror film, and a flight of fancy. All in all, this film is best experienced in the dead of the night, in a darkened room, alone. That you'll get it.The last scenes in the movie are undoubtedly the best.

This is yet another biblically-based horror film that tackles the end of the world. In this case, it focuses on a small abandoned church where a mysterious brotherhood kept a large hermetically sealed cylinder containing a viscous substance. The movie never tells us what that thing is, nor how it was stuck there, nor does it explain why it came out of the cocoon (one of the biggest problems in the script). But the truth is that it looks like a milkshake of wickedness, evil concentrated. And in it lies the secret to awaken the Prince of Darkness. The movie may seem strange and very unbelievable because of these elements, but the truth is that it works very well as a horror movie. John Carpenter is a master at creating suspense and scare the audience, and he achieves one more success in this film, probably one of the least known of his consecrated career. Donald Pleasence is the most obvious name of the cast, in the role of an unusual Catholic priest. The cast, on the whole, fairly complied with what was demanded of it. The special effects are good but the characterization and the wardrobe deserve special applause because they stand out, particularly as the film draws to an end.

The slow build of tension throughout this film really impressed me. I was on the edge of my seat and had a couple of scares. :)The story was unique, the ending unpredictable and it kept me thinking about it once the film had ended.Interesting and varied characters. I love Carpenter's use of multiracial actors in non- stereotypical roles. I mean, Victor Wong, come on! :DThe same can be applied to women characters in his films. The women weren't just there to support the men, they played equal roles. Refreshing, particularly for the age of the film.Really simple yet effective use of special effects. In a world where special effects are overdone and used simply in an attempt to shock audiences, this film had the right amount and it was entertaining without being cheesy. Loved it.